While the notion of public transport isn’t the sexiest, it is one of the most helpful, especially when you’re trying to find your way around a new destination. Quality public transport can often mean the difference between getting the most out of your holiday and failing to do so.
According to the World Economic Forum, a kind of inter-government agency that likes to keep score of how well various countries are doing, some places are a heck of a lot better than others when it comes to getting around on the public dime. No, the USA isn’t among them. Let’s take a look at the top travel destinations with public transportation options to die for.
Austria
Austria, that little landlocked country in the heart of Europe, isn’t the first place you’d think of for having great public transportation. But the country needs it, due to the fact that a lot of its land area is right in the heart of the Alps, one of the most inhospitable places on Earth.
Public transport in Austria isn’t the traditional network of buses and trains (although you can still find these in the country), it’s a series of cable cars and gondolas which open up the mountains that set the country apart. Each year millions of tourists flock to destinations like Mayrhofen, and they rely on being able to take the cable car to enjoy their stay.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is, in many ways, the complete antithesis of Austria – incredibly flat, and not at all landlocked. According to the World Economic Forum, it ranks an impressive third in the world for its public transport. But do people use a lot of bus accident lawyers here? That’s the interesting thing about the Netherlands: its public transportation is based around its industrial canal system and great ports along the coast. You can get to practically all the major cities by boat, both by public barge, ferry, and private boat.
Singapore
Over the last four decades, Singapore has experienced something of an economic “miracle.” The Asian city-state was once just as poor as surrounding Malaysia, but thanks to some smart investment projects, it’s managed to supercharge its wealth in an unprecedented way, becoming richer on a per-capita basis than most Western countries.
How did it do it? Scholars have asked the question, and many say that it has to do with the country’s efforts to provide incredible public transport. Like many Asian city-states, Singapore’s wealth is built around its port – which, of course, is one of the best in the world. The city is also crisscrossed by rail and bus networks to rival those of New York and London.
Hong Kong
The World Economic Forum says that Hong Kong has the best public transport infrastructure in the world, meaning that people who go there on vacation will have the easiest time getting around. Incidentally, Hong Kong is ranked 11th in the world for tourism, making the island dependency a double-whammy for people who love to travel. Will you visit this vertical city?
